The Golden Egg Chair

If any sentence were to describe Arne Jacobsen’s masterpiece from 1958 it would be the statement above. What other piece of furniture can maintain the same high quality and evoke the same emotions as it did 60 years ago?

This year we’ll be celebrating the 60th Anniversary of Egg™ with something special. In 2018, it is 60 years ago that the world-famous Danish architect Arne Jacobsen designed the Egg™, the Swan™ and the Drop™ in connection with the opening of one of the first design hotels in the world, Hotel SAS Royal in Copenhagen.

Our design team had the mission to interpret a series of design icons – and simultaneously maintain their status as iconic when it comes to both recognisability and quality.

This 60th anniversary therefore salutes the silhouette of the Egg™, the Swan™ and the Drop™ chairs as well as the design hotel – the SAS Royal Hotel – they were originally created for. Today, they represent the essence of Arne Jacobsen and his time of glory within Danish design.

A time we want to celebrate through a selection of exclusive materials, a pure and natural colour palette and a constant respect for Arne Jacobsen’s original ways of working.

The serenity of nature was the starting point for the design process of the anniversary Egg. The idea was to unite the renowned heritage with a design that was relevant in time.

Fritz Hansen in Copenhagen, the Egg

Hotel Royal in Copenhagen, reception and lounge

The result is a collection of furniture appealing to all senses with a mission to turn pure materials into personal design objects.

The materials vary from the soft and serene PURE leather to a 23 karat gold plated base, both of which will acquire a patina and an expression of their own with time. Our design team has refined not only the aging process but also the touch, the look and the scent of the design.

Curious as we are we decided to book a flight to Copenhagen to meet up with Fritz Hansen and spend some nights in Hotel SAS Royal. Maybe we could find out a little bit more of what might be in store for the 2018 Arne Jacobsen’s anniversary.

SAS Royal Hotel, Copenhagen, Danmark

The home of the Egg Chair

Our stay at the hotel was as always perfect although it’s undergoing a transformation and is refurnishing rooms, the lobby and common area’s.

Arne Jacobsen was one of the greatest Danish architects of the twentieth century. His versatile talent won him both national and international acclaim.

Arne Jacobsen mastered all elements in the architectural process, from the great lines to minute details. One of his professed methods was high-quality craftsmanship.

The construction of the SAS Royal Hotel in Hammerichsgade began in 1956.

Four years later, the hitherto tallest building in the Nordic area, and the largest hotel in Scandinavia, was ready for inauguration.

With its twenty-two floors, the SAS Royal Hotel was to be called a “Landmark of the Jet Age” characterising the 1950’s.

The hotel was considered the most modern hotel in Scandinavia, and Arne Jacobsen’s attention to detail in terms of functions and the choice of materials in the overall design as well as in individual objects was much admired.

Radisson Blu Hotel

Room 606

Today, the SAS Royal Hotel has changed its name to the Radisson Blu Hotel. Nevertheless, it is still a prominent example of Danish modernist architecture.

It is known all over the world as the hotel in which the architect designed every detail. It is the most harmonious high-rise building in Copenhagen and constitutes an ideal in Modern Design.

Arne Jacobsen’s artistic talent is evident throughout the hotel – from the proportions of the building to the design of the interior.

His unique ability to carry through an all-encompassing design – or a gesamtkunstwerk as the Germans call it- idea must be admired.

The lobby – The present hotel lobby is in many ways similar to the 1960’s lobby. The room is delimited by a shopping zone.

The glass panes of the shops separate the lobby from the hustle and bustle of the street and at the same time let daylight into the room. The result is a calm, exclusive atmosphere.

Hotel Royal in Copenhagen, first time I applauded to a staircase. Leather

Hotel Royal in Copenhagen, room 606, Arne Jacobsen

The famous Egg™ and Swan™ chairs, which were specially designed for the hotel, match the pleasant calm of the room.

The staircase – Together with the organic forms of the Swan™, the curved staircase constitutes a strong contrast to the sharp cut, simple structure of the hotel.

The very slight structure of the staircase was on the verge of what was technically feasible at the time.

Did you know…

… that it takes two leather hides – one for the front and one for the back – to upholster an Egg™? And that it takes 1100 hand stitches to finish an entire Egg™ in leather or fabric? We’re passionate about craftsmanship, and it is our pleasure to share that passion with you.

If any sentence was to describe Arne Jacobsen’s masterpiece from 1958 it would be the above. Because what other piece of furniture can maintain the same high quality and evoke the same emotions as it did 60 years ago?

This year we celebrate 60 years of the Egg™ – a design icon originally created for the SAS Royal Hotel in Copenhagen along with the Swan™ and the Drop™ chairs. With the Egg, Arne Jacobsen became a pioneer within Fritz Hansen and within design history. The Egg represented craftsmanship, originality and exclusivity – and it still does so. The 60th anniversary edition is no exception.

“The anniversary Eggs that we launched in February 2008 were sold before we’d placed the first advertisement in the paper. (…) We thought that retailers would buy a couple of them, sell them, and place a new order, but we sold out before launch. And I think the retailers sold out quickly as well. It was crazy”, tells the brand manager in Fritz Hansen.